Local, community-led development
Totnes Community Builders, formerly TCDS, is a community benefit society established to identify opportunities to bring land and buildings within Totnes into community ownership to meet local need.
We have two main projects:
The Mansion
We were given control of The Mansion at the start of 2017 and in this time it has evolved into a thriving, vibrant centre for education and recreation. Home to a varied group of local businesses and charities, our open doors and town centre location make The Mansion a highly accessible and welcoming place to spend time, connect and pursue shared interests.
Atmos
The Atmos Project is the focus of this website as the primary community-led development opportunity we are pursuing.
Who we are
All the TCB Directors live locally and are volunteers
Frances Northrop
Frances Northrop is an Associate Fellow at the New Economics Foundation, based in the Local Economies Unit, a director of London Trades Guild and a trustee of Annetta's Trust. She is also the co-founder of Platform Places. Frances has a long track record of working on initiatives to establish generative and just economies across the UK and specialises in how change is created through different means – culture, policy, practice and campaigning - and is experienced in all four areas.
Thomas Beale
Thomas Beale is a director of Ecomotive, and accredited Community Led Housing technical advisor, enabling and project managing affordable and sustainable housing projects in Bristol, Plymouth and beyond. He has 12+ years experience as a freelance social enterprise advisor, supporting business development, financial strategy and governance for a wide range of organisations, especially within the housing, energy and community buildings sectors. He lives with his family on Dartmoor where they are establishing a small regenerative farm and wilderness retreat centre.
Ian Trisk-Grove
Ian Trisk-Grove is a senior finance professional (ACA) with strong commercial and technical financial accounting skills developed over 20 years of post-qualified experience.
Carly Trisk-Grove
Carly Trisk-Grove is a social entrepreneur, a B Leader with B Corp and a founder member of The Sustainable Restaurant Association. She has supported a number of SMEs on their journey to using business as a force for good and is an advocate of social eating frameworks as a response to growing levels of loneliness and food poverty.
Rob Hopkins
Rob Hopkins is the co-founder of Transition Network and of Transition Town Totnes, and author of several books including ‘The Transition Handbook‘ and most recently, ‘From What Is to What If: unleashing the power of imagination to create the future we want’. He is an Ashoka Fellow, has spoken at TED Global and at several TEDx events, and appeared in the French film ‘Demain‘. He holds a PhD from the University of Plymouth as well as 2 Honoris Causas, and has been a Director of Totnes Community Builders since its formation. He hosts the podcast ‘From What If to What Next‘. In November 2022 he was made an Honorary Citizen of Liège in Belgium by the Mayor of the city.
His website is robhopkins.net.
